You can download a pdf preview here.
Monday, February 4, 2013
The Best of OBSOLETE! Magazine
OUT NOW!! At long last, The Best of OBSOLETE!
is out! Order your copy and use discount code "fnord" for 25% off for a
very limited time! Featuring writing and artwork by 32 contributors,
plus interviews with Cory Doctorow and Mick Farren, and a special
foreword by V.Vale of RE/Search!!
You can download a pdf preview here.
You can download a pdf preview here.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Out Now! OBSOLETE! #7
Our biggest issue yet! With a full color cover featuring artwork by Steve Taylor, the SCIFI/DIY issue is crammed full of original essays, fiction and artwork.
Scifi and DIY are like the
literary and technological chocolate and peanut butter of geekdom. Ever
since For many do-it-yourselfers, tinkerers, makers, hackers, hobbyists,
citizen scientists and other bright and inventive individuals, scifi,
fantasy and other flavors of “speculative fiction” have stoked the
creative fires since before the time of Robert Louis Stevenson, through
the era of H.G. Wells and the adventures of Tom Swift and up to Cory
Doctorow’s “Makers”. OBSOLETE! explores the connections.
Featuring writing by: Tim Beckett, Walter Sun Chien, Rich Dana, Ric Driver, Rachel Haywire, Ben Miller, Ursula Pflug, Alou Randon, Robert Runte
And a very special interview with Mick Farren
Individual issues are free,
but we ask for $3.00 to cover postage and handling. Want free copies for
your local coffee shop, book store or writers group? Email us at
obmag(at)feral-tech.com.
Book Review:The Suffering And Celebration Of Life In America
-->
There was a time, before the advent of
“Reality TV”, when people could be shocked. A time when serial
killers were the subject of true crime novels and punk rock songs,
not a series on MSNBC. A time when GG Allin got arrested for things
that now barely qualify as a wild Saturday night on “The Jersey
Shore”. A time when sideshow acts offered real magic, more amazing
than the magic of CGI.
Shane and Amy Bugbee came of artistic
age in those years, in the twilight of pre-digital media. Shane's
exploits earned him a place in the pantheon of shock artists of the
era that includes Allin, Jim Rose, Jim Goad, Lydia Lunch and Boyd
Rice, and he was profiled in the book Art That Kills: A PanoramicPortrait of Aesthetic Terrorism.
As that movement
fell victim to what Douglas Rushkoff now describes as “PresentShock”, The Bugbees set a new course, and boldly departed on a
classic cross-country American road trip. Like the adventures of Sal
Paradise and Dean Moriarity, or Capt. America and Billy before them,
the Bugbees trip was unscripted, and took them deep into what is left
of “genuine” America. The Suffering And Celebration Of Life InAmerica is the account of that trip.
An
early essay from the book, How To Use $180 And Social Media To Travel The Country For A Year, appeared in OBSOLETE! #2. The book
itself is a sprawling 532 page collection of stories, interviews and
correspondences, laid out in a graphics packed style that harkens
back to a zine aesthetic. The book's narrative is strung together
with diary entries, depicting the struggles of life on the road, odd
jobs, sleeping in the van and working out of Kinko's office centers.
But the real meat of the book is the interviews. It could be called
“Life on the Z List”, and the subjects are given their Warholian
fifteen minutes of fame, sometimes kindly, sometimes not. From
struggling artists and writers to the founders of the Baltimore Scifi Convention, the son of the founder of the Universal Life
Church, members of an Austin Black Metal band, ranchers, strippers
and a rum maker- it's a cross section of outsiders and blue-collar
visionaries that remind us that it's time to turn off the mobile
device and check back in with our own local oddballs and characters.
Despite an occasional spiteful tone and some personal axe-grinding, there is a sweet, pure heart to the book- the Bugbees love the little guy.
They may not always like them personally, but they know that the lone kooks and
outsiders with big dreams are what make life interesting and “keep
it real” in the era of “Reality TV”.
The Bugbees are making the book
available for free (donations gratefully accepted, of course), one section each week, at their website
http://www.usaodd.com/, along with a good bit of video from the trip.
The online samples give a good taste, but it is the
kind of book that is fun to leave lying around, to flip through and
discover new bits. It's a good reminder of how truly interactive a
paper book can be.
MORE
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Three Days Left to keep OBSOLETE! Alive!
Update: Good News! With the money raised outside of the indiegogo
campaign, we passed the halfway way point to our ultimate fundraising goal for the
next four issues of OBSOLETE! BUT... there is still time for you to help
out. Even a couple bucks will get us a little closer to putting out 3,
or even 4 great issues in 2013. THREE DAYS LEFT to contribute!
http://www.indiegogo.com/obsolete?a=1074450
Over
the last two years, the team here at OBSOLETE! Magazine has worked hard
to put out 6 issues of a real, live, newsprint tabloid arts magazine.
It's not a blog, it's not a twitter feed, it's not a webzine. It's a
real, old-school underground newspaper, distributed through a network
of volunteers who have placed free copies at locally-owned shops,
independent businesses and public libraries from Portland, Oregon to
Portland, Maine. I'm proud to say that we have published work from great
emerging artists and writers, as well as some well-established talents.
Early on, I set a policy of paying for new, unpublished work, unlike
most of the outlets young writers and artists have available to them in
these times of devalued digital content. I am very grateful for the
chance to work with so many talented and dedicated people and support
their work, while they support ours.
As you can see, we are bucking the trends in publishing... and literally paying the price. Thanks to an early online fundraiser and a few loyal and generous advertisers, we have squeaked by, but paying the talent, printing the papers at a local printer and shipping them via USPS has taken its toll, financially. Yes, I know it's a ridiculous business model–create an expensive product and give it away for free. Yes, I am crazy, naive... and most likely stupid.
OBSOLETE! has been a grand experiment - a meta-zine examining the relevance of print, assessing the pros and cons of technology and questioning a society that wants artists to work for free, while happily paying a premium price for drinking water. At the same time, it's an experiment in equity crowdfunding and gift economics. By taking small donations from many supporters, we are trying to create something that is more than the sum of its parts. It's a platform for social commentary. It's a free gift for customers who support local businesses. It's a free source of ideas for people with limited resources. It's a unique way to promote contributors and advertisers. It's a way to build community in the non-virtual world. It's an outpost of analog media in an increasingly digital world - an excuse to unplug and enjoy the physical experience of reading.
A month ago, we launched an online fundraising campaign in hope of pulling together enough money to put out the next four issues of OBSOLETE! Magazine. I set an ambitious goal of $5600. (enough to cover the per issue costs of $500 to print 3000 copies, $300 for shipping and $600 to pay contributors) knowing that it would be tough to reach, but thinking that if we could at least reach half of that amount, we could use it to leverage grants or other funds to raise the remainder. Surprisingly (to me, at any rate), as of today we've reached less than 1/4 of that goal, and there are only 10 days left to raise the money we need to continue. There is a very good chance that issue #7 may be the last for OBSOLETE!
Perhaps this is just an indication that analog media is truly dying - that people aren't interested in supporting the non-digital format. Maybe it's a failure on my part to deliver a product that people really want. Maybe the model is tragically flawed - after all, distributing beyond the local community is something underground papers have always found challenging, even in their heyday. Maybe the people who do support it are just as broke as we are, and simply unable to afford even a small donation. I accept that any and all of these are possible. Still, as much as I hate to beg and spam, I'm going to invite all of you, once again, to take part in keeping OBSOLETE! alive and free.
You can help in several ways. First - just drop us a couple bucks. You can take part in the online fundraiser at http://www.indiegogo.com/obsolete . You can also mail a check, as some folks have - if you don't like the on-line thing. Even if you can't afford to contribute financially, you can help us by spreading the word. Let your friends know that you support OBSOLETE! and maybe they should too. Finally - send us your feedback. Let us know what you like and don't like about the paper. We are open to suggestions on content, format, distribution, funding... let us know what you like - or equally as important, what you don't like and why you aren't contributing.
A special thanks to all of you who stepped up early and continue to support our project. We have special thank you gifts and perks prepared to send out at the end of the campaign. We will keep forging ahead, and with your help and input, we hope to keep putting OBSOLETE! out there in the real, physical world.
Best wishes -
Rich Dana
Publisher
OBSOLETE! Magazine
POB 72
Victor, IA 52347
obsolete-press.com
http://www.indiegogo.com/obsolete?a=1074450
Over
the last two years, the team here at OBSOLETE! Magazine has worked hard
to put out 6 issues of a real, live, newsprint tabloid arts magazine.
It's not a blog, it's not a twitter feed, it's not a webzine. It's a
real, old-school underground newspaper, distributed through a network
of volunteers who have placed free copies at locally-owned shops,
independent businesses and public libraries from Portland, Oregon to
Portland, Maine. I'm proud to say that we have published work from great
emerging artists and writers, as well as some well-established talents.
Early on, I set a policy of paying for new, unpublished work, unlike
most of the outlets young writers and artists have available to them in
these times of devalued digital content. I am very grateful for the
chance to work with so many talented and dedicated people and support
their work, while they support ours.As you can see, we are bucking the trends in publishing... and literally paying the price. Thanks to an early online fundraiser and a few loyal and generous advertisers, we have squeaked by, but paying the talent, printing the papers at a local printer and shipping them via USPS has taken its toll, financially. Yes, I know it's a ridiculous business model–create an expensive product and give it away for free. Yes, I am crazy, naive... and most likely stupid.
OBSOLETE! has been a grand experiment - a meta-zine examining the relevance of print, assessing the pros and cons of technology and questioning a society that wants artists to work for free, while happily paying a premium price for drinking water. At the same time, it's an experiment in equity crowdfunding and gift economics. By taking small donations from many supporters, we are trying to create something that is more than the sum of its parts. It's a platform for social commentary. It's a free gift for customers who support local businesses. It's a free source of ideas for people with limited resources. It's a unique way to promote contributors and advertisers. It's a way to build community in the non-virtual world. It's an outpost of analog media in an increasingly digital world - an excuse to unplug and enjoy the physical experience of reading.
A month ago, we launched an online fundraising campaign in hope of pulling together enough money to put out the next four issues of OBSOLETE! Magazine. I set an ambitious goal of $5600. (enough to cover the per issue costs of $500 to print 3000 copies, $300 for shipping and $600 to pay contributors) knowing that it would be tough to reach, but thinking that if we could at least reach half of that amount, we could use it to leverage grants or other funds to raise the remainder. Surprisingly (to me, at any rate), as of today we've reached less than 1/4 of that goal, and there are only 10 days left to raise the money we need to continue. There is a very good chance that issue #7 may be the last for OBSOLETE!
Perhaps this is just an indication that analog media is truly dying - that people aren't interested in supporting the non-digital format. Maybe it's a failure on my part to deliver a product that people really want. Maybe the model is tragically flawed - after all, distributing beyond the local community is something underground papers have always found challenging, even in their heyday. Maybe the people who do support it are just as broke as we are, and simply unable to afford even a small donation. I accept that any and all of these are possible. Still, as much as I hate to beg and spam, I'm going to invite all of you, once again, to take part in keeping OBSOLETE! alive and free.
You can help in several ways. First - just drop us a couple bucks. You can take part in the online fundraiser at http://www.indiegogo.com/obsolete . You can also mail a check, as some folks have - if you don't like the on-line thing. Even if you can't afford to contribute financially, you can help us by spreading the word. Let your friends know that you support OBSOLETE! and maybe they should too. Finally - send us your feedback. Let us know what you like and don't like about the paper. We are open to suggestions on content, format, distribution, funding... let us know what you like - or equally as important, what you don't like and why you aren't contributing.
A special thanks to all of you who stepped up early and continue to support our project. We have special thank you gifts and perks prepared to send out at the end of the campaign. We will keep forging ahead, and with your help and input, we hope to keep putting OBSOLETE! out there in the real, physical world.
Best wishes -
Rich Dana
Publisher
OBSOLETE! Magazine
POB 72
Victor, IA 52347
obsolete-press.com
Sunday, November 18, 2012
1983 Zine unearthed!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
We are still taking submissions for issue #7!
OBSOLETE! Magazine is seeking high quality writing and artwork for the upcoming issue. The theme of OBSOLETE #7 is SciFi/DIY, and will explore the interconnection between science fiction and the rise of DIY culture.
Short fiction, essays, poetry, illustrations, comics and photography will all be considered. You may submit completed work or pitch a story idea. Some story ideas might include: The history of zines and/or fan fiction, the influence of scifi on technology, the rise of “Cons”, “Citizen Science”, Geek and “Maker “Culture.
The deadline for submissions is November 30th. OBSOLETE! offers token payment for original content but we also consider previously published material or excerpts from upcoming books. OBSOLETE! is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 license.
For more information, please email Rich at obmag@feral-tech.com
Unfortunately, our site, obsolete-press.com is still down due to Hurricane Sandy, so for now we will be posting updates at this blog.
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